Keeping You Safe
by Virgo girl 14
Summary: After ALAYM. One shot. AU because we know Elphie does not do well without Fiyero and I'm saving her some sort of heartache. It's better than the summary, I promise
1. Chapter 1

**Keeping You Safe**

_"We'll be together forever. You can see houses flying through the sky. Why can't you see that?" Fiyero had teased her with a half smile. He kissed her and let her slip from his fingers._He'd tried to listen to her. Tried to heed her warnings about keeping safe until her return, only something in his gut told him she wasn't coming back to him. "Wait!" He called out into the trees after her, could have sworn he heard her footsteps stall and he jogged quickly in the direction she'd walked, away from him, in the direction of her sister. "Don't go."

Dark eyes looked up at him, a hurricane of emotions warring inside those murky, depthless pools as she waited for him. "You know I have to. Nessa, she-"

"Then I'll come with you. How is me sticking around waiting to be captured any safer than being at your side?"

"If they get you, Fiyero, if this is some sort of trick..."

"Then at least we'll be together. I know... I know what I just said... but I need to make sure you're alright, I need to know I won't lose you."

Rigid, still shoulders slumped in defeat and she drew a heavy, mournful sigh that just moments ago had been filled with so much joy and contentment. "Alright... Fine... But stay hidden until I know for sure it's safe. I mean it, Fiyero if you try and pull some brainless heroics I won't forgive you!"

Tanned hands raised in surrender and he nodded. "Okay, I get it." he reassured her. "I promise." he added and she relented, motioning for him to get on the broom, and he positioned himself behind her, curling his arms around her waist.

The action barely bothered the green fugitive now as she kicked off the ground and flew towards the East, towards Munchkinland and her sister. She didnt hear him mumbling in her ear, telling her it would be alright. She couldn't feel the gentle caress on her hip.

They reached the clearing with the fallen farmhouse as the sun was rising, she snarled when she heard the distant sound of munchkins singing. "Distasteful, small-minded, wasteful little-" she was silenced by a gentle touch on her arm. She looked to her left and sighed. "I'm sorry."

He was about to respond when he heard another voice. A woman giving another person directions, presumably along the Yellow Brick Road. '_Shit!' _he thought, and judging by the way Elphaba looked up at him, she thought the same thing. "Come on." he hissed, dragging her into the cornfield.

"Wait! My sister... her shoes."

"Elphaba, give it a moment."

Anger flared up in the green woman and she stood tall and imposing. "No. How dare she give away what doesn't belong to her."

She didn't scare him, he just waited for her to finish her ranting. "Go on. Go to your sister." he told her gently, holding her hands in his own and he saw sadness in her eyes. "Go talk to Glinda."

"Stay here." Elphaba told him quietly, pulling her hands free and she entered the clearing, scowling at her former best friend. "A touching display of grief." she spoke dryly.

"Elphaba!" the male groaned quietly from his hiding place. How he loved her stubbornness, if only she knew when to hide it. Fiyero sighed sadly when she knelt on the ground, pleading forgiveness from her sister beyond the grave. Didn'tshe realise she had nothing to be ashamed of? Did nothing to need forgiveness for? He gritted his teeth as the women began to raise their voices to each other, their arguing becoming more intense.

"Yes, well a lot of us are taking things that don't belong to us. Aren't we."

A sharp intake of breath from the male, barely a gasp on the breeze. He wasn't completely brainless, he knew they were now talking about him. Guilt crawled through his veins like a spider even as Elphaba had ranted about him, telling Glinda all the things he had been too cowardly to admit to them both, even now.

He whirled around, facing West, the direction they'd come from. To the untrained ears, he would have heard nothing. To his skilled hunter's hearing, he heard the heavy footsteps of his men approaching them and fast. He ran out into the clearing as the two former friends started attacking one another and he forcibly got between them.

"You!" Glinda screeched at the sight of him and she slapped him.

"Enough!" He told her firmly. He knew he should take it, knew he deserved it, but they were losing time. "The Gale Force are coming."

Instantly the fight left both women and Elphaba scrambled to grab her broom.

"You should go... Both of you..." Glinda spoke brokenly.

"Glinda..." Elphaba wanted to make up with her, she didn't want to run any more.

"Elphie, now." she threw the hat to her.

"Come on, Elphaba." he held her hand and dragged her in the opposite direction of the soldiers who were almost upon them. "It's too late to take flight right now... We'll get further away before we do."

Elphaba felt numb, was uncharacteristically silent while her love rambled on needlessly. She stayed quiet until they were further away from Glinda and the soldiers. "Fiyero, please, be quiet." she told him quietly. "I can't... She's alone and... Oz, I need to go back."

"What? No! I know you want to make up... I understand that you don't want to leave her with them... But I think you were set up. Both of you were."

She looked up at him. "I don't understand. You think Glinda is behind all of this? She's too blonde to think up something like that."

He scoffed. "You underestimate her. She's smarter than people give her credit for. But I don't think she's directly involved in that house falling on your sister, and it's no coincidence that the Gale Force knew to come from the Emerald City to outer Munchkinland to look for the witch and the former Captain of the guard."

"Morrible." Elphaba growled, her cheeks flushing with anger and her eyes flashing with fury, her magic practically radiating and crackling on her skin, giving it an eerie glow.

Fiyero stood, watching her silently. He saw, just for a moment, the formidable Wicked Witch. Tall, intimidating, imposing. Unlike everyone around her, he wasn't afraid. In a strange way, he loved her more.

She paced between him and a tree, mumbling and growling quietly. "I swear if I cross paths with that _witch _one more time...! I mean... _how _can Glinda be so... gullible?! Oz she must be truly stupid!" _Or heartbroken. _she thought.

"Elphaba, just breathe for a minute."

She stopped midstep and she looked over at him. "I'm being serious! I almost wish I could fly to the Emerald City right now just to wipe that smug smirk off her face, but she'd probably be waiting for me."

He crossed the forest floor until he closed the gap between them and he gently held her by the wrists, and the tension left her body. "My beautiful, precious gem." He whispered.

She blushed and lowered her head. "Stop it..."

He grinned, hooking a finger under her chin to lift her head and he caught her lips with his own. "Never." He told her. "Come on, we should be safe enough to head to Kiamo Ko."

She nodded and they both got on to the broom, taking off into the air, flying in the direction of the Vinkus.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm adding another chapter because I felt I could write more... There will probably only be one more chapter after this :) enjoy! Don't forget to review

**Keeping You Safe**

_"You should go. Both of you."_

Glinda knew she'd done the right thing letting her friends run to safety. She knew it, but why did she feel so awful?

Ripping off her jeweled crown from her blonde curls, she threw it on her vanity table and paced her bedroom floor. With shaky fingers she unlaced the corset of her blue gown and pulled it over her head without missing a step and then shed her skirt, kicking it across the room with a frustrated yell. Tears slipped down her rose stained cheeks and she headed to her closet, slipping on a pink floral nightgown, before crossing the room to her window, looking across the Western skyline of the Emerald City, wondering where her best friend and her ex fiance were now. Were they safe? Did they get away in time? Were they happy?

"God... Elphie I miss you so much..." she sobbed quietly. "I'm sorry... Oz, I am _so _sorry..." She cried more than she ever thought possible over the past three days...

Why hadn't she gone with her that lonely, awful evening all those years ago? How had life gone fantastically wrong from that point on? Elphaba should be at her side even now, celebrating each other's successes. Even, as she was realising now, _Elphaba's _engagement with Fiyero. She had loved him far longer than she cared to admit, Glinda saw it even back then, but chose to ignore it. How could she not? Fiyero was perfect. The perfect gentleman, always doing what he could to make sure his loved ones were happy. The biggest shock came from the man himself... How had she been so blind to not see that he loved her too? And for how long? Had Elphie been right? Had he truly never loved her at all? Had her best friend captured his heart from that very first moment and been totally unaware of it? Or was Fiyero right when he'd given the implications of an affair behind her back this whole time?

Forcefully she pushed herself from the window and hurtled to her bed and collapsed upon the mattress, curling herself amongst the duvet and buried her head into her pillow, her tears didn't stop until she succumbed to her exhaustion.

The early morning sun stung her already burning eyes, and she hid her head under the covers for a few moments longer, ignoring the tapping on the glass in the process.

The monkey at the window screeched indignantly and tapped on the glass more urgently.

Glinda growled and kicked off the comforter and sat up, wincing at the headache she had just disturbed. "Alright, alright!" she snapped, looking up at the window. "Oh, Oz..." she whispered at the sight of the creature and she warily got up and walked to the window, opening it. She took the piece of paper it was holding out to her and read it, recognizing the chaotic scrawl of her friend's handwriting.

_Glinda,_

_As you know, there's probably not much time left for us... I intended to keep on fighting, but honestly, I'm just tired... I can't keep running, so we're going underground and going into hiding._

_I am so sorry for everything, honestly, this was not how I imagined everything going... Fiyero... he was supposed to stay with you... you were both supposed to be happy forever... I never never in a million years thought he would ever feel the same way I do of him, and trust me when I say I tried very hard not to. I never meant for any of this, I wasn't meant for it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said yesterday. I hope in time you can forgive me._

_You're my best friend, my only friend, and I love you. I know you had nothing to do with Nessa's death._

_Love Elphaba_

Glinda bit her lip as she burst into tears again, guilt stabbed at her gut at the last sentence. _Oh, Elphie if only you knew... _she thought. "Wait there." she told the creature and rushed around for her paper and pen, scribbling a quick message to her friend.

_Elphie,_

_Don't worry, all is forgiven... what do you mean underground? I'm going to need explanations, please meet me outside the city. Today at lunchtime. I'll make sure I'm not followed. _

_Please, Elphie. I can't lose you again_.

_Love Glinda_

She handed the note to the monkey. "Please make sure Elphie gets this." she pleaded and watched it take flight and head west. So Elphaba stayed west at least. She pressed her lips into a thin line thoughtfully, trying to remember what lay over the yellow brick road.

_"My family live in the most western part of the Vinkus." Fiyero had told her once_.

She gasped. "Of course... he took her home, where she'd be safe..." she whispered. She sat at her vanity table and groaned softly, spotting her puffy face and her bloodshot eyes. Why had she cried so much? It's not like it would change anything. She looked up at the knock on her door. "Who is it?"

"Madame Morrible sent me with breakfast, Your Goodness. She didn't think you would be up for coming down this morning." came the reply.

_Morrible... _If it hadn't been for her none of this would have happened. She and Elphie would have gone back to school, graduated together. "Very well... please bring it in." she said in a polite tone. She looked up as the young male entered the room with the tray of food, their eyes met and she gave him a small smile. "Thank you." she spoke as he put it on the table.

"You're welcome, Your Goodness." he smiled gently. "I'm sorry for what happened. I thought Prince Fiyero was a better man than that."

"Oh, he is!" she defended him automatically. She sighed. "Can you keep a secret?" He nodded. "I knew her..."

"Th-the Witch?!"

She flinched at the name. "Her name is _Elphaba_!" she snapped. "She's my best friend, and even though she betrayed me, she still holds that title, she always will. And Fiyero... He didn't do anything wrong, not really... He just... Fell in love with her. And I can see why."

"Maybe the Witch put a spell on him to make him leave you. You are so goodly and so much prettier than she is-"

"That's enough. You may leave. I have to get ready." She told him. "And if you tell anyone about this conversation, you will not return to the Palace, understood?"

He understood his dismissal immediately and nodded, scurrying out of the room with an apology.

She glared for a moment longer, for once not caring a twig about using her power this way. The boy deserved it for talking about her best friend and her ex fiance like that. Regardless of their betrayal, she still loved them both. She headed to the bathroom and turned on the tap, splashing her face with the cold water. She dried her skin and then went to sit down for her breakfast, her mind constantly spinning with thoughts in her head.

Later, once safely out of the Palace walls, she conjured up her bubble and floated her way to the border of the city, below her was a buzz of conversation from the city's residents, but she paid little attention. The moment her feet touched the grass, she popped her bubble, unsurprised to see Elphaba already lounging beside a tree, observing her nails. "E-Elphie...?"

The green woman looked up at the sound of her name, the name she had almost forgotten. Before she was reunited with both of the significant people in her life she barely even _existed_. What she would have given to hear that _stupid childish _nickname again. "Glinda... I... Oz, I am so sorry..."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Glinda scolded gently and rushed over to her, just as she had done just days before, and hugged her tightly, relieved to feel those skinny arms wrapped around her back once more. "Elphie... Are you happy?"

"I..."

"You were right, I think he never did love me... And yes, it does hurt, but I will be okay. Now, answer my question. Are you happy?"

Elphaba nodded and said nothing.

Glinda looked up at her best friend, seeing regret and guilt in her face. "Elphie, it's okay. I promise. But... Like I said in that note... I do need answers..."

"Of course..." Elphaba whispered.

"Start with Fiyero... How long...?" she watched as her face contorted into sadness and remorse.

"Since Shiz..." She admitted softly. "But Glinda you have to understand... I had no idea, I swear-"

"Okay. Okay I believe you." relief coursed through the shorter woman's veins. "Elphaba I know why. Admittedly when we first started dating, it was a shallow reason... But then you left, and I saw it. That thoughtful, caring, sweet man... And I'm a little jealous that you got to see that before me." She giggled a little, drawing a small smile from the green woman. "Oz, Elphie, you're a woman, and that means you're no more immune to the charms of a man than I am. Regardless of how you see yourself."

Elphaba rolled her eyes at her. "Glinda..."

She shook her head with a smile. "I'm sorry."

"I can't stay long... You know they won't rest until I'm gone..."

She frowned. "Elphie, I can help. I'll clear your name, we can overthrow the Wizard and Morrible and you can come back!"

"Glinda... It's not that simple... Too much has happened, too many rumours of all the supposed bad things I've done... They'd turn on you too for supporting me."

"I don't care!"

"I do!"

"Then I'll come with you."

Elphaba smiled sadly and shook her head. "Glinda... You need to stay here. You need to make good for me. And... And I need you to be strong for me."

"Why...? Elphie what...?"

"I can't tell you any more, but just know I'll be alright."

"Elphie... No..." She cried again. "Please... Let me help you."

_Don't make this any harder... _Elphaba told herself. "You're my best friend... The only friend I've ever had..."

"Why are you saying goodbye...?" she froze at a choked sound in her ear. "Elphaba Thropp! Tell me right now!"

Elphaba closed her eyes as her own tears fell and her resolve crumbled. _Yero, forgive me... _"Fiyero and I have a plan... We can't stay here, but he seems to think he can find somewhere we can hide out... We're going to use the rumours about how water can melt me and-"

"You're going to fake your death and I'll never see you again!"

"Glinda it's the only way."

"No! No there has to be another. I can't lose you both again, I won't!" she stamped her foot.

Despite the heavy, sombre atmosphere, Elphaba laughed through her tears. "Are you finished?" she sniffled.

"Yes." Glinda pouted. "Let me help."

Elphaba sighed. "Fine... I'll send a letter to you with Chistery with the information... But it needs to be destroyed after you've read it... This plan cannot get into the wrong hands."

Glinda nodded. "Of course."

Elphaba hugged her again. "I have to go..." She said softly. "I'll see you soon."

"Alright... Say hi to him for me."

Elphaba smiled and left the small clearing hurriedly.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Final chapter :) Here goes!

**Keeping You Safe**

Glinda stood nervously in the corner of the tower room at Kiamo Ko, listening as her two friends strategised their escape plan.

"It will have to be as believable as possible..." Fiyero watched as Elphaba pored over the Grimmerie once more before looking over at the blonde. "Glinda, that means that you have to stick to it, even though she will sound like she's in a lot of pain, you'll have to stay where you are."

"No." Elphaba spoke up. "No, I want her out of the room. It would be too traumatic for her to deal with."

"I can deal with it, Elphie. I will," Glinda pushed off the wall and crossed the room to her. "I don't _like _it, and I'm almost certain that there's another way so I don't have to lose my friends-"

"Glinda, the witch hunters are a day's walk away," Fiyero reminded her.

Elphaba scoffed, snapping the book closed and she stood up. "Lead by a _child _of all people. Those shoes cannot get to the Wizard. I need them here."

"This is the only plan we have that is effective. Anything else would take days or months to perfect," he finished, ignoring her rant about the shoes, having heard it enough times already.

"Why? Why do I have to lose you when I've only just got you back?"

The green woman sighed, a sympathetic look on her face as she hugged her friend. "You'll know where we are... But I can't come back here."

"I know, I know... Too much has happened... But what if-"

"Enough," Elphaba commanded softly. "Enough. I'm _tired _Glinda... I'm sick of trying to do good and it ends up going wrong... My whole life it's been like that... And just once with..." she trailed off and they both snuck a glance at Fiyero who was looking out of the window. "Just once, everything is okay... when this is over, we'll finally be safe here... The Wizard knows he'd never be able to send his troops to the Vinkus, which is why he's sending a child with a Scarecrow, a Lion who runs the moment you say 'boo' and a Tin Man with an axe to grind. Literally. It's my fault he's like that."

"What? Don't talk silly," Glinda admonished as Fiyero turned to say the same.

"It's true," Elphaba nodded. "Of course, he doesn't remember that it was Nessa who'd..." she stopped, realising she'd have to start at the beginning. "Before I came to free the Monkeys from the Palace, I went home. I went to try and get my father's help, whether I'd be let through the front door or not remained to be seen... Anyway... I flew in through my old bedroom window and I went through to the study. I hid until Nessa came and I begged her to let me see him... She told me he'd died of shame, because of everything I'd done. We argued and then I put a spell on her shoes to make her walk... She called Boq in because she was so happy. He... Well... He wasn't. Because she could walk, he saw no reason to stay, and he was going to come to your engagement party to try his luck one last time. And then..." She paused for a moment, finding the following words a struggle to say. "Then Nessa took the Grimmerie... And because she couldn't read it properly... Didn't understand what she was saying... she tried to make Boq love her again and she... She ended up shrinking his heart."

Glinda gasped, horrified, and she held her friend's hands tighter. "Oh, Elphie..."

"I... I did the only thing I could to try and save him."

"You turned him to tin to save his life." Glinda finished for her, and burst into tears, hugging her. "It wasn't your fault, Elphie."

Fiyero crossed the room and put his arms around them both. "She's right. You tried to save him."

"But it wasn't good enough." Elphaba shook her head. "My best wasn't good enough, it never is."

"Elphaba, of course it was. You can't blame yourself for that." Fiyero told her. "And that Lion... Well he's just been fed lies and because he doesn't have a backbone he'll go along with whatever makes him feel safe. So he blames you for setting him free when we both know there would have been no way he could have got out of that cage alone."

Elphaba rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of the hug and walked to the window. "Chistery!"

The Monkey leapt from a nearby tree and flew up to her.

"Elphie what are you doing?"

"Speeding things up a bit." She told her. "Chistery, bring me the little farm brat. I need my sister's shoes."

Glinda wrung her fingers together nervously, unwilling to tell her friend that the shoes could not be taken from the little girl until it was time for her to go home.

"Glinda."

She looked up to see Fiyero motioning towards the door. She dropped her hands, burying them in her skirts instead and she followed him out and down the stairs. "Yes d- Fiyero?"

"What are you not telling her?"

"I don't... -"

"I can see it in your face. I've lived with you for two and a half years. I know everything about you."

She sighed in defeat, her face full of guilt. "Elphie won't be able to get those shoes until the Wizard finds a way to send Dorothy home..."

He groaned quietly. "And we know he won't be able to do that. What is he expecting in return?"

"Elphie's broomstick..."

"So he's expecting some kid to come here and kill one of the most powerful witches in Oz? If it was anyone else it'd be a suicide mission."

"But Elphaba has a heart... She wouldn't really kill her... Would she?"

He shook his head. "Of course not."

By the time evening broke over the Vinkus the following day, Elphaba had become increasingly more agitated with Dorothy, who had been crying from the moment she was dropped none-too-gently at the witch's feet, even when she was pushed into the trapdoor. Not even the voice of Glinda the Good would calm the child.

"Elphie, you need to calm down! I get that they were Nessa's, I get that they're powerful, but they're _just shoes!_" Glinda huffed.

_If only Galinda saw Glinda now, she'd be horrified! _Elphaba thought, amused, but she fixed her friend with a glare. "If the Wizard realises the magic in them, we're all done for. And they were my sister's, which makes them mine."

"Since when did you start caring about shoes?!"

"I don't. I care about _those._"

"You can't just go around kidnapping children!"

"I am the Wicked Witch of the West! I can do what I like!"

Fiyero entered the tower room. "If you two yell any louder, Morrible will hear you from the Emerald City. Will you both please stop your arguing?" He put the cups of tea on a nearby table, not really seeing the point of it all, but Glinda had requested it and he needed something to do. He then crossed the room, pulling Elphaba away from the trapdoor she was inching towards and he wrapped his arms around her instead.

"Let go of me." She huffed but made no attempt to struggle. Instead, she melted into the embrace and closed her eyes.

"Maybe you should have come with us all those years ago. Who knows, you may have been able to stop that stubborn witch from ruining her own life!" Glinda snapped, grabbing her cup and moving away from her friends to sit beside the window.

"No, you don't." He told Elphaba quietly, tightening his hold around her when she started to move to retaliate. "Keep glaring, you don't scare me." He added when she scowled. "Maybe, but I somehow doubt I would have been able to make a difference."

"You could have told her sooner."

He felt Elphaba flinch against him and he sighed. "I get it, I'm brainless and I'm a coward. Can we move on from it now? It's not helping her right now."

"And she's still not over it. And to be honest, I don't understand it either." Elphaba looked up at him. "Why me?"

Glinda shook her head, drinking her tea.

"Why not you? Elphaba, come on. You're the smartest woman I know, you're incredibly sarcastic, you're beautiful, inside and out, and you have a heart the size of the whole of Oz even though you don't let many people see it."

She rolled her eyes and smiled again. "There's never usually anyone to show it to."

"That's about to change. Right, I'd better go. And when this is all done, I'll cocome back and get you."

"By midnight it should be over." Elphaba nodded, sharing a look with Glinda as she pulled herself away from Fiyero. "Or... The thirteenth hour by the Time Dragon Clock..."

Glinda set down her empty cup and flew across the room, hugging him tightly, tears already falling down her cheek.

"Glinda it's fine. She'll be safe here, news from the Emerald City doesn't travel this far. Besides, I already told my family a long time ago that none of what was said about her is true."

"What?" Both girls looked at him.

"I'll explain another time. Go, you have a plan to execute." He kissed Glinda on the cheek and gave Elphaba a long, tender kiss on her lips before slipping out of the tower room.

Elphaba crossed the room and picked up the Grimmerie, and pulled her green bottle from her pocket. "I want you to have these." She handed them to Glinda.

"Elphie, you know I can't read this."

"You'll have to learn then, won't you." She smiled sadly. "I'll have no use for it now... And they'll not believe I'm gone if I still have possession of it."

"We'll say it's lost... It was lost for decades before the Wizard came along it can go back to being lost now."

"Glinda. I trust you. You're the only other person in this world who could use that thing for good. Oz knows I failed with that..."

"Don't say that, Elphie. You did do good. I promise. There are rumours about one of the soldiers in the ranks... Helping the Animals in secret, but nobody has ever come forward about it. Fiyero _thinks _that I don't know it was him all along."

"What...? He... He really did that?"

She nodded. "All for you, because of what he saw that day when Doctor Dillamond was taken away. I know it was awful for the two of you but I'm just glad I woke up late that morning... I don't know what I would have done."

Elphaba smiled, seeing the old Galinda still in her best friend somewhere. It returned a small sense of normalcy.

"Why your bottle? Won't you keep it?"

"No... No I think I need to get rid of everything from the past... Start anew..."

Glinda adjusted the book in her arms and turned the bottle over in her hands, a sliver of recognition in her brain, but she couldn't tell where else she'd seen it before.

Hours later, her best friend's scream still ringing in her ears long after the fact, Glinda tentatively removed herself from the broom closet she'd been locked in. Even as she told herself that her friend really was not dead, she couldn't stop herself from crying. The last of the Gale Force soldiers had gone after they searched the castle, making sure that the Wicked Witch was really _dead_. Glinda looked disdainfully at the pool of black where her cloak and hat lay, effectively covering the trapdoor her friend was hiding under.

It didn't take Fiyero long to rush back to Kiamo Ko and up to the tower room, checking along the way that there was no one else in the crumbling building. He spotted Glinda, his heart stopping at the sight of her tears, fearing the worst.

"I... I haven't checked..." She told him.

He nodded and crept to the cloak and hat, kicking them out of the way and he knocked on the wood beneath.

Elphaba pushed open the door and popped up through the floor. "Took you long enough! Do you know how uncomfortable it is down here! And not being able to do anything when she's -" She was cut off by him kissing her. "Well... That's one way to shut me up..." She teased and allowed him to pull her up.

"Elphie!" Glinda hugged her tightly. "Oz, I was so scared it wouldn't work!"

"So was I for a minute... Remind me not to set myself on fire ever again." Elphaba hugged her back.

Fiyero picked up the hat and placed it on her head when the girls separated, and he held her hand. "Let's go."

"I won't see you outside of the Vinkus, will I?" Glinda looked at them both.

Fiyero shook his head, for once thankful of the old traditions he'd grown up with. "It was rare enough for _me _to venture out of these lands... And that wasn't even by choice, it was literally because of how many schools I got thrown out of."

"You can always come to us... When everything is settled in the city..." Elphaba suggested.

The three friends hugged their goodbyes one last time before the blonde watched her friends leave the castle and make their way to the Vinkun border. She studied the bottle once more, her eyes wide as the penny dropped. She knew exactly where she had seen it before. "Oh, no..." She whispered, conjuring her bubble and floated back to the Emerald City.

"Are you sure your family will like me...? I mean... With the whole... Witch thing...?" Elphaba looked up at him nervously.

"They've known about you for years, Elphaba. I told them the truth from the very beginning, and they've been wondering why I stayed with Glinda this whole time." he told her. "They're gonna love you." He promised, and he kissed her head.


End file.
